Emrys Westacott
How did you become a writer?
I've always dabbled in creative writing, mainly poetry, but the writing I've done for publication has generally been more scholarly. After finishing graduate school I started publishing articles in philosophy journals. That's what academics are and required to do in order to get tenure. A disappointing aspect of that sort of publication, though, is that one typically gets virtually no feedback for the simple reason that most scholarly articles are read by very few people. But then articles that I published on the ethics of gossiping and on the topic of rudeness received some media attention, and the philosophy editor at Princeton University Press invited me to put together a collection of essays on everyday ethics. In doing this, I began consciously to write for a more general audience of readers who might not have much background in philosophy, but who were interested in my topics and were willing to think.
Name your writing influences (writers, books, teachers, etc.).
That's a difficult question, because if I name the writers I most admire I might seem to be comparing myself to them, which I wouldn't want to do! In the philosophical canon, the writer who does best what I try to do is perhaps David Hume: he combines originality, philosophical clarity, literary elegance, and a dash of humour. Nietzsche is my favourite stylist, but I wouldn't try to emulate him. Instead, I strive for what he calls, when criticizing John Stuart Mill, "an insulting clarity." I view absolute clarity as a great virtue, and I admire thinkers like Plato, Descartes, and Schopenhauer who achieve it. I'm impatient with any obscurity that I think is deliberate, pretentious, or the result of careless thinking.
When and where do you write?
Mostly I write in my study in the early morning. I try to write every day, even if it's only for twenty minutes. I find that just turning the engine over a couple of times helps to keep it from rusting up: that is, it keeps me mulling over the matter in hand. If I have a deadline to meet, I'll write anywhere and at any time. But I do find that after about three hours I often stop being very productive.
What are you working on now?
I'm working on a book about how we need to rethink our notions of both work and leisure as the consequences of the computer revolution really start to kick in and increasing levels of automation make it possible for people to work much less than they do. I believe that instead of having millions unemployed and millions feeling overworked, we should try to make possible a more equitable redistribution of work. And education should not just be about equipping people for the workplace; it should also aim at helping them to get the most out of their leisure time.
Have you ever suffered from writer’s block?
No. Writing is hard work, and sometimes I don't write due to laziness. But I assume that is different from writer's block.
What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?
Write every day, even if only for twenty minutes.
What’s your advice to new writers?
1. Write every day. 100 words a day (which is hardly anything) = 70,000 words in two years (which is a book).
2. Be a perfectionist. Work hard in choosing your words, crafting your sentences, and organizing your text with a view to making the finished product as clear, precise, and as engaging as possible.
3. Don't be a perfectionist. That is, don't let an awareness of your limitations, or fear of criticism, inhibit you. When I play golf, I know perfectly well that I'm not Tiger Woods. But I can still enjoy playing, can hope to improve, and can occasionally hit a fine shot. I find it helps to adopt the same attitude toward my writing. There are many philosophers who are cleverer than me, scholars who are more erudite than me, and writers who are more creative or stylish than me. But that's no reason for me not to have a go.
Emrys Westacott was born in Nottingham, and grew up in Chesterfield (UK). He studied philosophy at the University of Sheffield, McGill University, and the University of Texas at Austin. Since 1996 he has taught philosophy at Alfred University in Western New York. His work has appeared in various publications, both scholarly and popular, including Philosophy Now, The Humanist, The Philosophical Forum, International Studies in Philosophy, the International Journal of Applied Philosophy, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Think, and The Philosopher's Magazine. He has written three books: Thinking Through Philosophy (co-authored with Chris Horner) (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2000); The Virtues of our Vices (Princeton Univ. Press, 2012); and The Wisdom of Frugality (Princeton, 2016). Further information, including links to his writings in a variety of genres can be found at his website: